Reciprocating slat conveyers are used in various types of installations and may be mounted on different kinds of structures. One example of a structure into which a reciprocating slat conveyer may be incorporated is a trailer. Reciprocating slat conveyers are typically mounted on an existing trailer or other structure, rather than being manufactured together with the structure itself as an original part of the structure. Therefore, it is desirable for a conveyer to be relatively easy to mount onto a structure and have some flexibility in adjusting to variations in the dimensioning of the structure. Ease and flexibility in mounting is preferably accomplished while also achieving and/or maintaining compactness and strength in the drive assembly of the conveyer.
Drive frame assemblies for reciprocating slat conveyers are disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,467, granted Dec. 15, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,893, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,894, both granted Jun. 7, 1988; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,868, granted Apr. 18, 1989. Each of these patents shows an assembly having opposite end frame members to which the opposite ends of drive units are secured. The use of ball blocks that receive the ball ends of drive units to mount the drive units onto drive frame members is illustrated in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,783, granted Apr. 4, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,389, granted Nov. 13, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,356, granted Mar. 17, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,502, granted Jun. 30, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,524, granted Nov. 24, 1992; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,661, granted Mar. 16, 1993.
In my above-cited copending application Ser. No. 08/164,895, of which this application is a continuation-in-part, a drive frame assembly having a transverse drive frame member with bendable outer end portions is disclosed. The transverse drive frame member has a central portion to which one or more drive units are connected and opposite side portions extending laterally outwardly from the central portion, each to an outer end portion. When the conveyor is mounted on a structure, the side portions of the transverse drive frame member are bent in position relative to the central portion to permit vertical adjustment of the outer ends of the side portions relative to the central portion.